Shower stalls and tubs accumulate a steady build-up of organic and inorganic deposits on their surfaces as a result of repeated use. The accumulation of such deposits, which include insoluble soap curds, washed-off debris from the body partially coated with soap or shampoo, calcium carbonate, other insoluble metal salts, and growth of mildew and microorganisms, etc., creates an unsightly and unhealthy environment that is unacceptable from the standpoint of cleanliness and good hygiene, as well as aesthetics.
Conventionally, the task of cleaning such surfaces has nearly exclusively been accomplished by application of a cleaner and scrubbing by hand. A number of commercially available cleaners are available to consumers for use in cleaning the build-up of deposits in a shower. These cleaners, which typically contain combinations of surfactants, chelating agents, oxidizers, abrasives, and soluble salts, require repeated scrubbing or wiping with the cleaner, followed generally with a water rinse, to periodically remove the unsightly and unhealthy build-up in the shower. Considerable labor is required to maintain a clean shower using these conventional cleaners.
Cleaning the shower is known to be one of the least desirable chores in home care today. In a recent study, out of ten cleaning tasks evaluated, cleaning tubs/showers was rated most disliked by respondents. In fact, the percentage of people ranking ‘cleaning tubs/showers’ as most disliked was nearly three times higher than the task ranking second most disliked.
Reasons that make cleaning the shower so difficult are the number of cleaning surfaces which need to be addressed and the type of organic and inorganic deposits that build up on these areas. Traditionally, multiple cleaning tools have been needed to tackle the many different surfaces found inside shower stalls. The sheer amount of tools an products needed to clean the confined shower stall makes the task unpleasant, cumbersome and expensive.
With all of the cleaning solutions and tools on the market today, there is still a tremendous need for a product that makes cleaning the shower faster, easier and better. Opportunities exist for improvements in devices and methods for cleaning showers, bathtubs and other household spaces.